The Wagner Family Early History

Date: 1798 to 29 Aug 1978
Location: Union County, Indiana, United States
Surnames/tags: Wagner Leonard Irwin

Description

The Wagner Family Early History is a PDF file. Click the link in the preceding sentence to download the file. The first page is a handwritten letter which is followed by three type-written pages.

Below is a transcription of the text of both the introductory letter and the family history. The letter was written by Myrtle (Stoker) Johnson to her 1st cousin, Gail Wagner and his wife, Mary (Kalendo) Wagner. The family history was written by Myrtle and Gail's uncle, Herbert Wagner.

Copies of the letter and history were distributed to family members. A copy in the possession of Mary "Audrey" (Lucas) Rinker was given to Frances "Joan" (Waltz) Leonard around 1994 because the history also discusses Joan's ancestors, the Witts and Irwins. Joan was the wife of Audrey's second cousin, Donald Raymond Leonard.

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Aug 29, 1978

Dear Gail & Mary

Finally got the Wagner history typed up. This is your copy, Gail, and it is up to our generation. You will have to add your children + their marriages, and grandchildren to this. I don't know all of that generation."

This is just as uncle Herbert wrote it.

How are all of you. I got an announcement of your grandson [Living Wagner] graduation and a picture. My, he is a handsome boy!

Love

Mildred

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George C. Wagner was born June 4, 1798.

Eliza J. Wagner was born January 7, 1819.

George C. Wagner died January 27, 1878.

Eliza J. Wagner died June 7, 1849.

George C. Wagner and Eliza (McAfee) Irwin were married about 1840. Eliza Wagner had two daughters by her first marriage, Mary Irwin and Catherine Irwin (who died when she was very young). Mary Irwin married Michael J. Witt and was the mother of the following children:

James

Morton

Frank

Lincoln

John

One daughter was burned to death when she was small.

George C. Wagner and Eliza Wagner were the parents of the following children:

Martha (died as a baby)

Matthew (died as a baby)

George Washington Wagner

George C. Wagner was born in the state of Maryland. Nothing is known of the family's prior history. The family moved to Virginia, where George's father died when he was quite young. When George C. Wagner was about twenty-one, he and his mother and sister left Virginia with what belongings they had in a one-horse wagon and came over land to Cincinnati, Ohio. When they arrived, George's sister Ann sold a dress pattern she had intended to make into a dress and also a gold ring, so they could buy provisions to eat. George secured work in a tannery and later was a truck gardner. His mother died of cholera when they had the cholera epidemic about 1832 and was buried in Cincinnati.

George's sister Ann Wagner married Henry Stoddard and had one child, William Stoddard.

After his marriage, George C. Wagner moved to Union County and bought 80 acres of land north of Liberty.

After his wife's death, his sister Ann kept house for him, as she and her husband Henry Stoddard had separated. George C. Wagner and his wife and two children are buried in Witts Cemetery about six miles north of Liberty, Indiana, on State Road 27. Also, Michael J. Witt and Mary Witt are buried in the same cemetery.

George Couts Wagner's middle name was the name of the mid-wife who was with his mother when he was born. The original spelling of the family name was "Waggoner". My father changed it to the short way.

Eliza J. McAfee had two brothers. Thomas McAfee went to California at an early date sometime in the 1840's and Robert McAfee went to Rock Island, Ill. There were some cousins of father's that lived in Cincinnati. Their name was Budd; also cousins that moved to Iowa by the name of Ickus, so she must have had at least two sisters.

George Washington Wagner was born January 29, 1845.

Mary Jane Leonard was born December 3, 1948.

They were married March 15, 1870, and were the parents of the following children:

Nellie M. Wagner (January 11, 1871)

Martha Ann Wagner (October 2, 1872)

Daniel C. Wagner (October 26, 1874)

Lissie Wagner (September 25, 1876)

Orpheus O. Wagner (April 10, 1881)

Arley B. Wagner (April 7, 1883)

Myrtle Wagner (November 25, 1885)

Herbert G. Wagner (January 21, 1889)

Nellie M. Lucas - Hiram M. Lucas

Martha A. Weaver - E. Mason Weaver

Daniel C. Wagner - Mirmie Barnes

Lissie Wagner - Carden E. Reynolds

Orpheus O. Wagner - Nellie Barnes

Arley B. Wagner - Ethel Wingate

Myrtle Wagner - Jesse Stoker

Herbert G. Wagner - Edna Connor Wise

Nellie Lucas had one daughter, Mary Audrey.

Mattie Weaver had no children.

Daniel C. Wagner had one son, Virgil Hobart.

Lissie Reynolds had two daughters, Helen Catherine & Lucile Keen

Orpheus O. Wagner had two children, Mabel and Don.

Arley B. Wagner had ten children:

Murry Cleon

Monta Gail

Ruth

Arleen

Max

James

Betty

Wayne

Bob

Thomas

Myrthe [Myrtle] Stoker had one daughter, Mildred.

Herbert G. Wagner had two children, Buddy L. and Mary Alice.

John Marshall and Rachel Debolt were married in Ohio about the year 1825 and came to Union County and bought a farm about six miles East of Liberty near Goodwin Corner. They were the parents of the following children:

Eliza Ann Leonard

Nancy Dunlap

Betsy Todd

Prissa Shepard

John Marshall

Lewis Marshall

William Marshall

Henry Marshall

John Marshall died of smallpox and his place of burial is unknown. William Marshall is buried at Goodwin's Corner. Rachel Debolt died June 28, 1867, at the age of 77 years, 6 months, 2 days. She was buried at Goodwin's Corner.

Thomas Jefferson Leonard was born April 2nd, 1825. Eliza Ann Marshall was born December 16th, 1826. Thomas J. Leonard and Eliza Ann Marshall were married July 25th, 1847. To this union were born the following children:

Mary Jane Leonard (December 3, 1848)

Sarah Ann Leonard (August 18, 1850)

John Lawrence Leonard (November 30, 1852)

George Washington Leonard (October 1, 1854)

Thomas J. Leonard and Lidia [Lydia] Welker were married August 8, 1858. They were divorced.

Thomas J. Leonard and Mary E. Teegarden were married May 1, 1865. The following children were born to this union:

Clara Leonard (February 8, 1866)

William Everett Leonard (October 31, 1867)

Charles Dores Leonard (October 4, 1869)

This union ended in a divorce.

Thomas J. Leonard and Esther Etchison [Eytchison, believed to be her first married name; last name at birth unknown] were married February 24, 1876. Thomas J. Leonard died near Frankton, Ind., about 1880 and was buried there.

Eliza Ann Leonard, daughter of John and Rachel Marshall, died November 19, 1856, age 29 years, 11 months, 2 days. She was buried at Goodwin[s] Corner, East of Liberty.

The Leonards came from New Jersey and settled about three miles east of Liberty. I do not know their Christian names. They had the following children: Thomas J. Leonard, Malen [Mahlon] Leonard, Andrew [John] Jackson Leonard, and Martha Pentecost.